Five BSF jawans killed

In the second attack on the Border Security Force in as many days, militants triggered an improvised explosive device on Wednesday morning near Tral town in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, killing five
jawans instantly, police sources said.

Militants exploded the IED in Pashtuna village at 0800 hours when a BSF patrol vehicle was passing through the area. Five jawans were killed on the spot.

Last evening, militants triggered an IED at Avantipora in Pulwama district, killing seven BSF jawans as they were returning to camp after poll duties.

The BSF personnel were sanitising the Wagat-Sheeri road for facilitating the return of polling staff carrying equipment from a far-flung village near Sheeri, police sources said.

The militants planted an IED in a wall and detonated it when the troops were examining the suspicious looking object. Sub-Inspectors Bakta Ram and P T Pagaria, Head Constable Girjan Singh and Constables Mandeshwar and Balvir Kumar died instantly while Constable Naseeb Singh was seriously injured.

Militants also set off an IED at Maminder in Shopian town in Pulwama on Tuesday night when a security vehicle was passing
by. No one was hurt in that blast.

Meanwhile, three people, including two women, were injured in a grenade explosion at Falmarg village in Kupwara district on Tuesday night. The grenade was lobbed by a counter-insurgent Ali Mohammad Lone at the house of Aziz Lone following a scuffle. Aziz and two women relatives were injured in the blast.